Customer Reviews

Arctic Melting: How Global Warming is Destroying One of the World's Largest Wilderness Areas

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Climate change is destroying the Arctic, and Chad Kister documents this destruction in Arctic Melting, a survey not just of Arctic events, but how they affect every state in the US and continents around the world. More than 150 species of birds from 6 continents and all 50 states breed on the coastal plain of the Arctic: Kister's coverage is to be commended for its attention to linking Arctic events to the rest of the world's ecosystems and concerns.

While the topics covered and material discussed in this little handy book are worth reading, the depth of knowledge in terms of science and the documentation of other sources is rather lacking. Kister uses other people's quotes as a crutch and the times he does use his own voice seem to fall short. The chapter on feedback systems especially. I'd hope a future edition will spell check his work, and also get the definition of albedo correct...it's reflectivity potential, not the amount of sunlight absorbed. And this is not known as the "albeido effect" either, it's just a way of looking at how much radiation from the sun is reflected rather than absorbed. For folks just trying to see the Alaskan side of the global warming issue, go for it. For someone looking for a more technical read...check out Weather Cycles by William James Burroughs

Climate change is destroying the Arctic, and Chad Kister documents this destruction in Arctic Melting, a survey not just of Arctic events, but how they affect every state in the US and continents around the world. More than 150 species of birds from 6 continents and all 50 states breed on the coastal plain of the Arctic: Kister's coverage is to be commended for its attention to linking Arctic events to the rest of the world's ecosystems and concerns.

This little book shares amazing onsite details only the Alaskans & intent visitors know first hand. It has some dramatic photos of arctic devastation. I saw Chad's beautiful slide show in Eugene Oct. 06 explaining many eco-critical issues there detailed in this book. He visited in `90s & '04-5 studying the ecology, taking pictures & talking over the crisis to learn the controversy & promote conservation. He tells of seeing the shocking differences of melting from warmer & shorter winters. Chad documents the Arctic zone suffering more varied ecospasms than any large bioregion on earth.

He is active campaigner to save the wilderness & stop global warming for 20 years. The ragging debates over development in Alaska are famous over oil extraction pipelines, fishing, native culture & logging old growth forests. Chad is working for years to protect those wilderness areas. His photos of the worst arctic ecospasms of sinking tundra lands with huge gapping holes & cracks. Big endangered animals: bear, caribou, walrus, seals, retreating glaciers & disappearing polar ice-cap. Causing the rising tides washing away shorelines, slowly invading & drowning shoreline villages! Some are relocating because their traditional lands are vanishing into rising seas. The native Eskimo traditional lives & values are stressed & even useless when their homes & food supplies are disappearing now, seems multi-extinction is rising fast.

The melting of vast tundra permafrost hosting vast herds of wild animals & millions of acres of trees are now dying from lost root systems, overheating, falling over, bark beetles eating them & even forest fires. All species are feeling the heat, more insects & less plankton in seawaters for fish to eat & grow. More nutrients in tundra melt-waters feeding stream aquaculture, while sea creatures are dying off. So much polar ice-caps has melting in last decade polar bears, walruses & seal are threatened & dying from lack of food. Pestilence invades with warming seasons.

The arctic is warming so the plants are animals are changing, animals moving north into cooler ecozones they're adapted to. Will forests migrate north also?

Chad zooms out to econo-political issues from US DOD Military report of "Climate crisis more dangerous than terrorism" to scientist supporting stopping global warming against the US gov resisting it even this year. Chad continues to touring, learning & promoting protecting of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge & other endangered bioregions. He's reporting on vast global & local trends, like 160 species of birds that migrate to Arctic from all US states & 6 Continents. Is a true adventurer, reporter & advocate for our respecting natural integrity of Arctic Ecosystems & how we're impacting them directly there & with heating up earth wherever we over-consume, pollute & pay taxes supporting more development. This is the best little `screaming tales' book from the arctic wilderness we need to learn NOW.

Chad also wrote Arctic Quest: Odyssey Through a Threatened Wilderness Area

Arctic Melting is full of sources and direct quotes from scientists. It shows the full range of impacts of climate change, from the melting pack ice and that impact on polar bears, the Inuit people, walrus, seal, Arctic Cod, Salmon, Arctic Char; native American village sea coasts crumbling into the sea, the permafrost melting, forests dying from climate change-caused disease and burning by the millions of acres, forests marching north, the impacts on caribou, snow fall and the Gwich'in people; a chapter how the Pentagon found climate change is a much more serious threat than terrorism and much more. It also shows the global impacts, about how melting glaciers are rising sea levels and shutting down oceanic currents, and the horrific impacts that this will likely cause.

Rather than leaving it at the horrific problem, Arctic Melting has a series of solution chapters about how we can meet all of our energy needs with efficiency, solar and wind. It also has a 20 page update on the very latest about the campaign to protect the Arctic National wildlife Refuge from oil development